Running Addiction featured on Discovery Health Channel's "My Strange Addiction"

saypay45

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May 24, 2010
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So I was watching this show called "My Strange Addiction" on Discovery Health with my wife yesterday. It featured a gal that eats chalk, a tanning addict, a shopaholic, and a guy named Tony who is "addicted" to running.

By addicted, they mean that he runs 100 miles per week. The show chronicaled his quest to complete a local 100 mile race, which he finished with a time of 26 hours, 26 minutes. At the end of the show, they update that he just ran 4 marathons in 4 days, and that his girlfriend left him (btw, although his girlfriend crewed the 100, she was less than supportive about the experience). They also had a doctor on the show that talked about how running for ultra distances is (not can be...IS) dangerous and will lead to conditions such as kidney failure.

Is it just me, or is this guy's behavior NOT addictive? I mean, 100 mile weeks are pretty standard fare for anyone training for an ultra. The guy looked pretty healthy. He wasn't an Anton Krupicka look-a-like or anything. And they never reported that he had any health problems associated with his training.

Is the general public, including the medical community, really that out of touch with human capabilities that we think that this kind of running is dangerous? Because if training for and running an 100 is addictive, I guess we need to sign a lot of our members up for therapy. And in that case, I'd rather be crazy...
 
 in his case it was

in his case it was considered an addiction because it hindered his life and he had no reason for doing it. there were points where he said he really didn't like running but felt like he had to do it. he also started running after being left by his wife i think it was and since that point he feels compelled to run for no reason and associates a lot of negatives in his life with not running.

i have a feeling the doctor's comments were edited for drama and probably taken out of context. in this guy's case it was for sure dangerous because he ran without drinking water, eating food, or really giving any concern for his body when out on his long runs so i can see a doctor saying something with certainty that got all twisted. however they could have just found a doctor who said what they were looking for so who knows.

your point about 100 milers and long running is spot on. it's not a crazy addiction or anything but this guy had issues so it was a little different. that was also not a new show so i would think the mindset about that stuff has changed a little.

oh and he had terrible form.
 
That's true.  I guess I

That's true. I guess I wasn't focusing on the person's individual motivations for running. If you look at his individual motivations, then it appears that a like-minded individual could be a running addict just as well by running 20 miles a week.

But if this show was saying that everyone who runs 100+ miles a week is like this then I strongly disagree.
 
 i'm right there with you say

i'm right there with you say but i didnt get that vibe from the show. for me it was a total product kind of thing. if you look at all their examples of addiction and how they were similar as well as different then it made more sense. i mean the chalk eating girl just ate chalk for no reason but felt like she had to, the very same sentiment they attached to the runner. a show like that is difficult because you will make your judgement of their stance in the first 10 minutes and the rest of it is either spent disagreeing or going along with what they are saying.
 
I watched this show some time

I watched this show some time ago, and of course, Jason came to mind...both Jasons. I too took it as if they were saying anyone who would run that much in a week, week after week is nuts, not so much what the guy had gone through emotionally that might contribute to his "excessive" running.

Now, eating chalk is nuts, but I didn't think the girl eating it was nuts. There could be something in her system that actually requires it, and since the doc at the end said it wouldn't necessarily kill her, they should just let her be.
 
This sounds like a pretty

This sounds like a pretty crappy show!

saypay45 said:
That's true. I guess I wasn't focusing on the person's individual motivations for running. If you look at his individual motivations, then it appears that a like-minded individual could be a running addict just as well by running 20 miles a week.



That's my understanding about addiction. To some extent, quantity isn't as important as behavior and attitudes.
 
It was made all the more

It was made all the more crappy SillyC when my wife turned to me and said, "See! You are addicted to running!"

Actual response: "No honey, running every day isn't called addiction, it's called a fitness plan. Also, doing something because you like it is called having a hobby. You should try it sometime."

Sometimes I have to remember to turn down the sarcasm a bit...